Bachanal Bachanal Bachanal Mas!

Bachanal Mas is relatively new on the scene. I started hearing about this band two years ago. Headed by Paul O Donoghue who is in charge of the creative side, this band burst onto the scene with flair, colour, and flamboyance to recreate and elevate the standard of mas in Notting Hill Carnival.

Bachanal Mas was my band of choice last year (until I got a free costume, Caribbean people love ah freeness eh?) and from my very short exposure to Paul and the gang- the registration process was seamless. After registering online, a few moments later I got in touch with some very friendly and accommodating reps who did their best to accommodate me finding a full frontline costume at the last minute.

As for the costumes, there is nothing else to say other than they are absolutely gorgeous. I will be attending the Mad Hatters party for the launch in a few weeks and will be posting a full review, hopefully with an interview with the persons at the helm. The theme last year was Heavenly Virtues and Deadly Sins- I personally think the "virtues" did not square very well with the "sins" and the band should have just stuck with the sins-but I understand in terms of marketability where Carnival often gets a bad rep, it might have been necessary to sell it that way.

This year BachanalMas is offering "Traditions", pretty personifications of mas from eras gone by- I am in love with Fancy Sailor so far but my impression based on the sketches will also follow in subsequent posts.

Based on what I saw on the road, the band was very well organised. There was lots of space for palancing and spreading out with those bee-yoo-ti-ful costumes. The only downside I would say was that the male-female ration in the band was not that great, so if you are looking for winery and bad behaviour and this is your primary reason for hitting the road, then this may not be completely fulfilled here. The crowd, however, is a mixed one- the band has people from all walks of life and is certainly not associated with any particular "in crowd".

All in all, THE one to beat if you want to look gorgeous on the road.

(Pics taken from BachanalMas website and all their rights are reserved- www.bachanalmas.com. Their launch will be held on 10 April at Abbey Bar)